i wanna taste the sun
by Wonderstruck-Ambition
Summary: "I want to taste the sun forever. I spent too long without it." Or Austin is a tattoo artist and Ally has never left her house.


i wanna taste the sun

**Disclaimer: I don't know why I wrote this. Ignore me.**

**AN: Haha yeah you should know by now all my shit is AU.**

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: Um. Tatoos? Abuse, alcohol, adult themes? I think that's it. Um it's kinda sorta very Rapunzel. Yeah. **

**Spent a month on this craziness, then sat down and redid it all in a few hours. Jeez.**

**Summary: Or Austin is a tattoo artist and Ally has never left her house.**

**... ... ... jailbait baby come on ... ... ...**

Austin Moon was perplexed. She wasn't old enough to be drunk; that he knew for sure. He also knew that she looked incredibly fearful, because she couldn't keep her gaze still on anything for more than twenty seconds. Whether that was her just being afraid or the alcohol, he wasn't sure.

What he did know was that this girl should not be in his tattoo parlor at 10:57 at night, unstable on her own two feet and smelling just like the bar next door.

"Hey," He called quietly, so as not to startle her. "Hey, kiddo, time to go. Parlor closes at 11, babe."

Her head shot up, and she looked at him with possibly the biggest eyes he has ever seen; Austin was reminded of Bambi, but he shook that thought out of his head.

"Yeah, time to go babe," He repeated, motioning to the door she stood in front of. "Gotta lock up."

"Please don't make me leave!" She cried, and he was alarmed by her outburst. She didn't sound upset, like she wanted a tattoo and couldn't get one, but more like she was afraid of actually leaving the walls of the building. "Please!"

"Woah, slow down there kiddo," He said soothingly, moving slowly towards her. "Nobody's gonna hurt you," He said, and she flinched."Wanna tell me why you don't want to leave?"

"I...I..." She stuttered, before her face turned an alarming shade of green, and she turned to throw up in the store's trashcan.

Well, shit.

"Hey, babe, you want me to take you home? Buy you a cab?" He asked quietly, handing her some paper towels. She didn't respond; he didn't expect her to.

"You know what, you look really sick. How about I just take you upstairs, yeah? My apartment is right up those stairs, and you can use my bathroom, how's that sound?" Austin was mostly narrating so he didn't freak himself out; a girl who practically screamed _jailbait _was throwing up in his tattoo parlor. Great.

"Alright kiddo, let's get going," He announced, slowly helping her to her feet and up to his apartment.

**... ... ... got a one way ticket down a two way street... ... ...**

Austin took care of his tattoo parlor; it boasted _Cleanest In Miami, _thank you very much. His apartment, however, was less pristine. It's not that it was dirty per se, just a bit cluttered.

"Alright, there's the couch, we can sit on that after we clean you all up, okay?" He asked quietly, directing her into the bathroom. "Alright, if you want to shower, just tell me." She just blinked.

"Or nod your head, can you do that?" He asked, but figured that was a bad idea; headaches would be pretty bad for her right about now. "Better idea, squeeze my hand if you understand me, yeah?" He got a gentle squeeze and figured that was a good sign.

"Alright, good! Squeeze my hand if you want to use my shower. Or I can fill up the bathtub if you don't think you can stand. Squeeze once for shower and twice for bath or three times for none at all," He rambled, nervous beyond belief. He never brought girls home; let alone drunk girls who barely looked eighteen and had thrown up in his parlor only six minutes earlier.

He got three squeezes, one after another, which surprised him. But Austin guessed he wouldn't want to use some strange man's shower, either, even if said strange man was helping him.

"Alright babe, alright, how about we just get you some new clothes maybe? You want to borrow a t-shirt or something? Squeeze once for yes," He said patiently, and she gently squeezed once again.

"Alright, hang on babe, we'll get you a t-shirt, and maybe some sweatpants because those shorts don't look too warm, do they?" He babbled. "I'm going to leave you in here, you can wash off with the sink, here's some towels, or-" She squeezed his hand twice, and he stared at her, confused.

"Um...what?" Her eyes directed his attention to the bathtub, barely staying open long enough to look two feet to the left.

"Oh, gotcha, you want to take a bath?" He asked, and he was met with another squeeze. This system really worked; damn, he was a genius.

He flipped the faucet on, and turned away. "Um...I'm going to go get you some clothes, alright? You get in there, and I'll...not be here," He mumbled nervously, running out. He figured if she really needed help he'd hear the throwing up.

He rifled through his dresser drawers quickly before he was met with soft material. He fished the dark gray t-shirt out of the drawer and held up the only clean t-shirt he had; his absolute favorite. He just couldn't catch a break, he mused as he looked at the pattern of the _Rolling Stones _shirt. This girl had better not puke all over this one or he was going to lose it. He quickly found his sweats, too, old navy blue ones from his high school.

He grabbed them quickly, and padded back to his bathroom. Knocking on the door, he called in to her. "Y'alright there babe?" He asked, wondering if she was confused by the generic pet names he used on every girl he met. Usually made them melt like butter; or that was just him in general.

He was met with splashing sounds and braced himself. "Alright, I'm going to come in, okay? But I'm going to cover my eyes. I just want to give you the clothes, yeah? Okay, I'm coming in. My eyes are covered," He announced; he'd laugh at himself if this situation wasn't so ridiculous and possibly scarring to his mental health.

He waved the clothes blindly in front of him before he felt a hand grab them away, and he sighed in relief. "You can put them on, right?" He asked quietly, and he heard a very gentle mhm; so quiet he barely heard it. But it was there.

"Alright, I'm going to be right outside the door, yeah? Just right out here, you need help, I'll just be...right out here, yep." Normally he wasn't so blatantly awkward, but it wasn't often he had basically catatonic girls sitting in his bathroom and wearing his band t-shirts.

It seemed like forever after he sat down in the hallway before she came out to meet him. The shirt didn't fit her at all, and she had rolled the sweats three times to fit over her hips. Come to think of it, she was rather skinny; too skinny. Austin bet if he looked he would see her ribcage.

"You look better," he said softly, retrieving her soiled clothes and putting them in a laundry basket. "How about I wash these for you, you go sit on the couch and we can figure things out?" She looked fairly agreeable to his plan, so Austin took that as a yes and led her to his couch.

By the time he came back with her nearly folded clothes, she was asleep and he didn't have the heart to wake her.

**... ... ... only thing to my name is an old t-shirt... ... ...**

When he woke up, it was because the brunette girl was throwing up in his bathroom.

At least she had the decency to get there in time.

Austin shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he walked to the bathroom again, this time not bothering to knock. He figured it was his house, he could take care of puking people if he wanted to.

She knew he was there, but didn't acknowledge his presence as he wet a towel for her forehead. "Wow, you really got smashed, didn't you babe?" He asked quietly, only to be met with a choked off little sob.

Austin didn't do crying. He didn't do many things, and he most definitely did not do crying.

"Aw shit, it's alright. Hey, why don't we just sit and talk, yeah? Find out about each other, maybe you can fall asleep again, I'm not too exciting so I'll put you right to sleep," he joked, and the girl barely smiled.

But they walked back to his lumpy couch anyway, and Austin patted the cushions next to him.

"I just realized I didn't tell you my name, huh?" He asked, half-laughing. "Austin. Austin Moon. I own the tattoo parlor we were in downstairs." He didn't expect her to respond, so he kept talking.

"I own it, and I do most of the tattoos, but I have two trainees that I let do the easy stuff. You know, basic stencil stuff. The infinity signs girls always want on their wrists, the heart outlines, birds. The usual. I do the more complicated stuff. It's what I'm good at," he paused, thinking of what else he could say. "The front desk, you may have seen the girl sitting there? Crazy hair? That's Trish, she's a good friend of mine. She does all the paperwork and stuff. She needed a job and I had one for her and she never left."

"Never?" The girl asked quietly, and Austin did a double take.

"Well yeah, the job was supposed to be temporary to get her some extra cash but she liked it and ended up staying on with me full time," He explained.

"Oh," She said, and he could tell she was thinking.

"What's your name, babe?" He asked. "Because I think after this you and I are at the very least going to be friends."

The girl looked at war with herself before she mumbled softly.

"Come again?"

"Ally," she whispered. "My name. It's Ally."

"Ally," he repeats, saying her name like it's a magic word, testing it out in the silence. "Ally. That's kinda pretty. Okay, Ally."

**... ... ... she said take it easy i need some time ... ... ...**

He found out that her name was Ally and she liked green tea. That was it; that's all he learned. She wasn't too hell-bent on talking, which he knew would happen from the get-go, but it was still uncomfortable to be practically talking to himself.

He never gave away information about himself; it was part of the way he lived his life. Never bring a girl home, never let the trainees do the intricate tattoo art, never get too attached, never give away too much information about himself.

This girl seemed to make him forget all his rules. Hell, she was wearing his favorite t-shirt, sitting on his couch and drinking green tea out of his only unchipped coffee mug. (Maybe it was the one from Disneyland, but...well, he knew she wouldn't care.)

So her name was Ally and she was drinking green tea out of his Disneyland mug and she seemed to fit right into the corner of his lumpy pea-green couch.

"I'm glad I finished school though, you know?" He continued, babbling mostly to pass the time. "I mean, I hated it at the time, always wanted to leave, but I'm glad I did it. Homework sucked, tests were worse, but I was proud of myself at least. What school did you go to?"

She simply shook her head, and Austin frowned. "Was it in Miami at least?"

Ally just kept frowning and Austin took the hint. "Well...um, do you have anything you like to do? For fun? I like to play guitar, you do anything like that?"

"Write," She muttered, nervously playing with the hem of his t-shirt. "Draw."

"Those are good," He said agreeably; he could tell she didn't want to fall asleep yet. Maybe she was afraid of the dark. "Both of those are good. I can't draw for shit."

She flinched at his slight curse and Austin almost chuckled. "Guess you aren't a fan of swearing, yeah?" He asked, and she shook her head, a wry smile on her face. "Right, I'll keep my swearing to myself then."

"So...you want to turn in yet?" He asked, a period of silence stretching between them before she shook her head.

"Okay...uh, you wanna watch a movie? You like movies?" He asked, mentally berating himself for asking a stupid question. Who didn't like movies?

She threw him a quizzical look and Austin sighed. This girl was either still drunk or more sheltered than he thought.

"You have seen a movie before, right?" He asked, and she flinched."Overprotective parents?" He guessed again, and she shrugged.

"Hey, babe, I'll stop asking if you want me to," He offered, and she nodded. "Um...you still want to watch that movie?"

She threw him a thumbs-up and he went to survey his movie collection. "Something funny, scary, I've got some action here, one or two romances Trish left up here," He narrated, and she quietly asked for comedy.

"Great choice," He praised, pulling out _Get Smart_. "This one's pretty funny."

About halfway into the movie she fell asleep, like he knew she would. He kept the movie playing, though, until the credits began to roll across the screen, and then he covered her with his fluffy blue blanket. "Night kiddo," He whispered, shaking his head. He knew he was in some deep shit, one way or another.

**... ... ... daddy says she's too young but she's old enough for me ... ... ...**

When she woke up the next morning she had the world's worst headache and she smelled bacon. The blonde boy from last night- Austin, he said was his name- was standing in the kitchen and plucking bacon out of the sizzling pan on the stove, humming a nameless tune.

"Hey," He called when he turned around and saw her, nervously hovering in the doorway. "Glad to see you're up, sunshine."

He wondered to himself why he kept with the pet names when he knew her real name; it was just comfort for him, something familiar.

"Want breakfast?" He asked, and she smiled, soft and unsure.

"That would be nice," She admitted. "I'm pretty hungry."

"You can talk," He joked, wondering if it would offend her. "Here, sit at the counter there. I've got eggs, bacon, fruit, what you like?"

"I like everything," She said softly; she couldn't afford to be picky.

"Great," He affirmed, only to keep the conversation going. "So, Ally, you got a headache? I can give you some medicine. You were pretty plastered there. First time at a bar?" He turned to her, appraisingly, and she blushed a bright red.

"Guessing that's a yes," He laughed. "Don't worry, I went a little crazy my first time out, too. Most people do. Drink some water and I'll get you some Advil or something, sit tight."

After he gave her the aforementioned painkiller, she seemed a little more open to talking. "So Ally, is there anyone I need to rough up for anything last night? Any guys taking advantage?"

Again, she blushed red. "No...no not really."

"Alright, not to be forward here kiddo, but how old are you? No offense babe, but you don't look old enough to be out drinking. You aren't 21, are you?"

"No," She admitted softly. "Not twenty-one."

"Alright, how old are you then kiddo?" He chuckled, handing her a plate full of the food he'd made. "Come on, I won't get mad, but you seem too young to be so hammered."

"Eighteen," She admitted. "Please don't be mad."

"Hey, hey I'm not mad," He soothed. "Nah. Just don't want you to be doing things that could go getting you into trouble now. There are some bad people out there, you wouldn't want to get messed up with them."

"You...you aren't a serial killer are you?" She asked cautiously, pausing in her chewing. "I...it didn't occur to me...I..."

"No," He laughed. "No I'm not a serial killer, nothing like that. I just know well enough to not leave a girl on her own when she's obviously confused, lost, and sick. Speaking of..."

"You're going to ask where I'm from, aren't you?" She asked sadly. "Please, don't..."

"Look, I'm not going to force you to tell me anything, yeah? But I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I knew what you were so scared of last night. If I have to go beat someone up, I will, just tell me who. Name, description, anything? Or-"

"No," She whispered. "No it wasn't anyone, it's just..."

"Well what were you running from?" He asked gently. "Home? School? At first I thought you were one of those girls barely legal-which you are- who came to spend all their parents' money on a tattoo in an act of rebellion. God, I hate when that happens. I'm guessing that isn't it?"

"No," She laughed sadly. "No, that's not it."

"So is there any place I can drop you off babe? University, parents' house, friend's?" He inquired, looking up at her over his glass of orange juice.

"No," She said fearfully, panicking. "No, I don't know where, I don't know-"

"Hey don't freak out!" He said, alarmed by her sudden fear. "Hey, it's okay."

"It's just, I don't have...I don't..." She was in a full-blown panic at this point.

"It's okay," He murmured. "You wanna stay here...at least for today? Just...just til you figure out where you wanna go?"

"I'd...I'd like..." She stutters, and Austin puts his hand up, silently telling her she didn't have to speak. "Thanks."

"Yeah," He replied, mind absent. "Yeah."

**... ... ... but darling they built you a temple and locked you away ... ... ...**

Her name was Ally, she liked green tea, and she had never left her house until the night Austin found her.

They were sitting on his couch once again, this time with hot chocolate instead of her previous green tea.

"My parents aren't around," He admitted in a ploy to get her to tell him something, anything, that could help out. "They died when I was fifteen. Ship sank." He kept his words short and his tone even; no use getting worked up over nothing. It was a long time ago, anyway.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "That's so sad."

"It's alright," He said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, it's been a long time."

"Austin?" She asked; the silence had been comfortable, but she was obviously curious about something.

"Ally?" He asked teasingly in the same tone. "What's up kiddo?"

"How old are you?" She asked, once again toying with the t-shirt she had yet to take off. "You know how old I am."

"Eighteen, yep. I'm twenty-four, love," He replied, nearly wincing at the age gap.

"Oh," She mouthed. "Oh."

"Does that bother you?" He asked inquisitively. "Or...your parents probably won't like you hanging out with someone six years older than you, huh?"

"My parents..." She choked out. "My parents, that's...that's."

"You don't have to-"

"No, it's alright," She interrupted. "You told me about your parents."

She took a deep breath and Austin knew he was in for something huge.

"You were right when you said my parents were overprotective; but it wasn't like normal overprotective parents. They...we lived in this house, it was on an animal preservation ground because that was my mom's job. We had a fence around the house, it was about ten feet away from the house. I wasn't allowed outside the actual gate. My parents would know, too, if I left. They knew everything." She sighed and Austin resisted the urge to squeeze her hand; they weren't that familliar yet.

"I wasn't allowed to ever leave the house," She continued. "They told me it was for my own safety, and I believed them for eighteen years. You know they were the only two people I've ever met?" She laughed, although neither she nor Austin found it actually funny. "The night you...uh. Found me. The night you found me was my eighteenth birthday. My parents, they had left. Said they had a present for me. But they said they'd be gone for the full day, because it was a long trip to get it or something. So they both left, but for the first time I didn't want to stay. So as soon as I waved them out the door and down the road I decided to leave. Got my shoes on and made a sandwich and I actually left that darn house for the first time in my life."

"And it was really scary. I didn't know where I was going and I kept seeing scary animals and for the longest time I couldn't even find a road. But then I did, and I followed the road and just kept following it. I was really scared, kept wondering if my parents would be following me, and the only thing I knew to do was follow the road. After about...two hours? Maybe more? It felt like forever...I found the really big city that I found you in! Or...or you found me."

"Miami," He interjected, and he could practically see the light on her face.

"Miami, that's it." She smiled at him gratefully. "There were so many people and it was so loud and everyone looked so different. I just-it was overwhelming. And then these girls, they asked me to hang out with them and they walked into the place next to your building- a bar? And then they just gave me stuff to drink and I felt really funny, like my brain was fuzzy and everything was out of control. And I wasn't sure what was going on and I just was so scared that my parents would find me. And somehow I ended up in your tattoo place- parlor? And I was just having a freak out. I thought I saw my parents and then you were making me leave and I-" She took a deep breath of air to steady her tears; she hadn't talked this much in a very long time. "And then I was just so grateful you didn't make me leave."

For once, Austin had no words.

**... ... ... yeah sometimes this world's such a lonely place... ... ...**

Her name was Ally, she liked green tea, she had never left her house, and she was scared to step outside of his apartment.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Austin asked, grabbing his keys. "Have to go to the parlor really quick to fix some things up. We're closed today, luckily."

"You're leaving?" She asked, nervously biting her thumbnail. "Are you, are-"

"I'll be right back," Austin reassured her, smiling in what he hoped was more comforting than flirtatious. "I promise. And here, I wrote my cell phone number down. I'll literally be right down that flight of stairs, but if you need me you can dial these numbers here," he explained patiently, almost as if it were to someone much younger.

"I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you," He said gently, wrapping his blue blanket over her again. "Why don't you watch some TV til I get back? You can change the channels with this," He explained, waving the remote. "I won't be gone long."

He couldn't get the look of abandonment in her eyes out of his head.

**... ... ... there's nowhere else to go so i hope you'll stay the night ... ... ...**

Her name was Ally, she liked green tea, she had never been outside of her house, she was afraid of leaving his, and Austin decided that she was staying.

"Just until you get back on your feet," had been his explanation. "Seriously kiddo, you think I'm gonna leave you? That would be...on my conscience forever, I can't live with that!"

So she agreed to stay.

**... ... ... i will be brave, i will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me... ... ...**

"You ever play Monoploy?" He asked on the third day of her staying there. She was still wearing his clothes (different ones, though) and he planned to get her some more. He had to remind himself, though, that she wasn't moving in. Nope, just staying around for a while. Yeah.

"No," She replied, shaking her head. "The only game we had at my house was Yahtzee. Gosh, I hate Yahtzee."

Austin hated Yahtzee, too.

"Okay, well Monopoly is long, confusing, and never really ends but the world seems to like it. You want to pl-"

"Yes!" She had cried, interrupting. "Yes! I want to do _everything_."

She said it so fervently that Austin couldn't argue. The girl hadn't ever really done anything; who was he to deny her?

So that's how Austin lost Monopoly for the first time in his life.

Three nights in a row.

**... ... ... walking fast through the traffic lights busy streets and busy lives... ... ...**

He took her out to get clothes, because she either wore her old, beat up shirt and shorts or his sweats and oversized holey t-shirts.

She protested at first, not used to people doing such nice things for her. Austin made up some bullshit excuse about it being easier to have more clothes in a load of laundry to conserve water, but she bought it.

So he took her out for the first time since her birthday, in broad daylight of course. They were walking downtown when Austin noticed the little gasps she would let out every few minutes. Turning to her quizzically, he asked, "What're you doing there, kiddo?"

"There's just..._lots_," She mumbled, grabbing onto his arm as a motorcycle rode by.

"Lots of?"

"Lots, just lots," She elucidated, and Austin understood perfectly. Miami wasn't small, the buildings were large and numerous, and Ally was right; there was just lots.

"Yeah babe," He chuckled, not bothering to disentangle their arms. "Lots."

**... ... ... i wanna show some skin, baby I need the ocean ... ... ...**

They ended up at a smaller store, all things in Miami considered. Austin never bothered to remember the name, just called it _Cassidy's_. She was the owner, anyway, and a friend from when he was young. Plus, she gave him a discount, so he figured the store deserved her name.

"Hey Cass," He called as they walked in, the bell tinkling to signal their arrival. Ally stuck close to him, though he could tell she really wanted to run around the empty store and look at everything.

"Is that Austin?" chimed a voice from the backroom, and not a minute later the blonde girl popped out, folding a blouse. "Austin! Hey, how are you? Oh! Um...who's this?"

Cassidy's eyebrows rose as she gave Ally a once-over, noting the too-small shirt and not-warm enough shorts. "Hello sugar, I'm Cassidy," She introduced herself, her southern accent showing through. It always did when meeting new people. "Who might you be?"

Ally shot Austin a look, and he nodded encouragingly. "Ally," She squeaked.

"Well that's pretty!" Cassidy exclaimed, noticing how uncomfortable the tiny girl was. "Tell you what, Ally, why don't you have a look around the store? This side will have women's clothes, so you'll probably want to go over there. Can I talk to your friend here for a minute? I won't be long," She promised, smiling sweetly. Ally didn't put up a protest and wandered over to the left wall of the store, touching the display of beaded necklaces on the way.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Cassidy smacked Austin as hard as she could on the arm. (Which was rather hard, considering she grew up on a farm and could win an arm-wrestling match against some of the bigger thugs over at the bar.)

"Ow!" He complained, rubbing his sore arm. "Cass! What the hell was that for?"

"When were you going to tell me about your girlfriend?" She shrieked. "And why you let her out in this weather wearing shorts and a godawful t-shirt!"

"First of all, she's not my girlfriend," Austin started, still rubbing his arm. "She's just a friend who needed a place to crash and she's staying with me for a while. She, uh, can't go home so I told her we'd get her some stuff."

"Well aren't you sweeter than a cupcake," Cassidy drawled, only half-sarcastic. "You're buying her clothes, she's staying with you. Guys don't buy girls clothes, even roomates, without buying themselves something, too. Unless you're dating. Girl to the friend is what I'm hearing."

"Shut up," He laughed. "So will you help her? I don't really...yeah. And she's kind of...innocent, so if you notice that, just...let it slip, kay?"

Cassidy rose her eyebrows again but nodded, slipping away to help Ally.

Austin walked around the store for about an hour while the two girls tried on clothes in the backroom, giggling louder than he thought possible. He was glad they had taken to each other, though. It would pretty much suck if they hated each other.

"Hey Moon," Cassidy called after about thirty minutes. "Price point?"

"None, just get her clothes!" He called back, and he was sure he heard Cassidy cough _girlfriend _after him.

**... ... ... spinning like a girl in a brand new dress, this big white city all to ourselves ... ... ...**

Ally came out with around four bags of stuff, and Cassidy threw in some jewelry "Just for the heck of it," as she said.

Austin was sure she was trying to make his wallet suffer, but he didn't care, and Cass always gave him his usual discount, anyway.

"Ey Moon, you ready to pay?" She called, startling him out of his daydream of staring at the wall.

"Er...yeah, hang on," He replied, quickly grabbing three of the same shirt.

"What?" He cried when Cassidy gave him her patented look. "I just really like your, uh, Weasley print! Wait, why the hell is it called a Weasley print?"

His friend just smirked up at him as she folded the hideous dress shirts into a paper bag, Ally beaming up at him in thanks the whole time.

"Yeah yeah, cut the crap Cass," He muttered. "Just shut up."

"I didn't say anything," She said smoothly, handing his receipt. "Now pay up, jerk."

**... ... ... the stained glass curtain you're hiding behind, it never lets in the sun ... ... ...**

He still had his job at the parlor, of course. He did own it after all, and he'd never missed a day of work in his life. Ally, however, didn't like it when he left.

"Come with me," He suggested casually one day. (The fifth day she stayed there.) "You can just sit and watch how it all works, you can read some books, or talk to Trish? Or you can just come sit and be with me. But being in this same apartment every day has got to get boring, babe."

So Ally grabbed Austin's beat-up copy of _Cannery Row _and set off to follow him down to his workplace.

She'd only had the same twelve books at her house, one for each month of the year. They'd been there since she was young, and practically taught herself to read. They'd been pored over at first, like adventures she was allowed to go on without actually leaving her house. Then they'd become old friends when she was lonely and thought that maybe, just maybe, she could hear laughter outside her window. (Of course she couldn't.) They lived about ten miles into the forest. And then they'd become rote, monotony at its finest, only saved for when she truly had nothing to do, or needed some kind of familiar comfort.

She could recite them all by heart. Austin learned that the hard way after he'd had _One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish _chanted into his ear one night.

So when she had learned that he had boxes upon boxes of books, the excitement on her face was unparalleled to anything he had ever seen. Some were his, some had been left in the tattoo parlor's lost and found for more than a month, some were friends', and some were his parents. Before they had died they had owned hundreds of books. They had been all over the house as a kid, in corners and under the couch and even in the kitchen. He just kind of inherited their love for books and it never stopped, even if he rarely had time to read.

She'd made her way through some of the easier books, as she hadn't exactly had intellectual novels at her house. So far, Ally had crossed _Secret Life of Bees, Traveler's Gift_, and _A Little Princess _off of her list, and was just now starting on _Cannery Row_, the book she was currently reading in the front room of the tattoo parlor.

He was worried about how Trish would take to her, of course. Trish...either loved or hated people, and vice versa. She could be...abrasive, and Ally was the last person who needed harshness in her life. So he gave her a brief but stern warning, and reluctantly left. They were jam packed today, and he needed to get some work done, so he hesitantly left Ally in the front with Trish.

**... ... ... i see trees of green, red roses too, i see them bloom for me and for you ... ... ...**

Austin hated, hated, hated to do the simple patterns, possibly more than anything. He'd done too many infinity signs, arrows, anchors, and heart outlines to even count. He really wanted to do the creative stuff, the designs he had actually practiced and become good at. Unfortunately, his parlor was rather famous. (And it was partly for the charming owner, yes.) And about half of the people who came in didn't really want a tattoo so much as they wanted to say they had it done by Austin Moon.

So he didn't really get to do the stuff that was more intricate, which pissed him off, but hey, business was business and he wouldn't complain.

"Hey man," One of the trainess, Elliot, called on his break, waving him over. "Bambi over there, you should have her design some stuff for people to look at."

"Uh," Austin coughed. He'd lost him at Bambi. "What?"

"That girl you brought in today? Your girlfriend or whatever? She's pretty kick-ass at drawing, some of them would make some good tats."

"Really?" Austin asked, too curious to correct Elliot about the girlfriend slip-up. "She is?"

"Yeah man, take a look," Elliot affirmed, pointing Austin to the front of the parlor. Ally was stretched out on the smallest couch, the uncomfortable one that people usually avoided, with a sketch pad below her and crayons in her hand.

Austin chuckled; Trish must have thought coloring would be a good way to keep Ally busy.

In a way, though, she was a bit childlike. Not in a bad way necessarily, she was just...innocent.

"Hey what you got there kiddo?" He asked, clearing his throat. The semi-large crowd assembled around Ally obviously didn't bother her; or she was too wrapped up in drawing to notice. He picked up her sketchpad, ignoring the others in the room. "Ally, wow, you were right when you said you drew. Damn, I mean darn," He corrected for her benefit, "this is good!"

"Really?" She squeaked, toying with her shirt's hem. "I was just...your friend said to stay out of trouble and gave me crayons to color with, so I just..."

"Yeah, this is great," He affirmed, looking down at the forest she had just drawn, a single tower rising just below the treetops. "Yeah, this is great. Realistic looking."

"Just...from memory," She whispered, and Austin sensed the tension. He mentally put it in his head to ask what she meant later; she said she lived in a house, not a tower. Or maybe she was more Rapunzel than he thought.

Oh god, did that make him Eugene Fitzherbert?

(it was a good movie, okay.)

**... ... ... i just hate to see you like this, no, I can't make it go away... ... ...**

"Hey Ally," He brought up over their dinner of macaroni and cheese. (She'd never had that, either. Not even the kind with the little dinosaur shapes.) "Today, you said you drew from memory. What did you mean?"

"Um...well I drew the trees exactly like the ones around my house. And then...well I didn't live in a tower. I'm not R-Rapunzel?"

"Rapunzel," He assured her. She sometimes had trouble with words you didn't use often, which was understandable. From what he gathered, she hadn't been able to flex her vocabulary much growing up.

"But um, I had the Rapunzel book as a child. Although...although the ending was ripped out. So I only got to the part where the old witch is killing the prince. I never did figure out if he lived or not," She mused thoughtfully, and Austin thought he was going to be sick. "But I just remember...the tower, it was really beautiful, but how lonely it looked, because it couldn't see over the trees. I couldn't see over the trees. I never knew that there was...there was more beyond my little fence, you know?"

No, Austin didn't know. He didn't know at all.

**... ... ... this is the golden age of something good and right and real ... ... ...**

"Alls!" He called, back from his detour to the store. "I got you something!"

"You got me something?" She asked, surprised and blushing. "Oh you didn't..."

"Yes I did, now hush," He said gently. "It took a little while, but...I found the original Rapunzel children's book at the bookstore, and then I got the Disney movie. They're both different, but really good. I think you'll like how they end."

"Does the prince live?" She shrieked, clawing into his shirt. "Does he?"

"Calm down," He chuckled. "We'll watch the movie after dinner. You want to read the book while I cook?"

Oh yes, yes she did. She really liked that idea.

**... ... ... i, i will be king, and you, you will be queen ... ... ...**

It wasn't until a few days later that Ally brought up _Tangled _again. She'd been absolutely infatuated when they first saw it, and now it was on constant repeat while Austin was at work and Ally didn't want to go. She even memorized the songs.

"Austin," She started, then shook her head, restarting. "Austin, you know what?"

"Mm?" He hummed, going over his bills and half-listening. "Don't worry, I'm listening."

"You're kind of like Flynn, and I'm kind of like Rapunzel."

"Why d'ya say that?" He mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"Well you're older than me and I was in one place all my life and then you rescued me except I don't think you're a thief and I don't think I'm a princess and I don't have the long blonde hair, and-" She gasped for breath. "And you've been very nice to me and showed me everything I didn't know existed. So thank you," She blushed, and stood up. "I'm going to go to bed now."

"Kay," he hummed, looking up. "And Ally?"

She turned around expectantly.

"You're welcome, babe."

She flushed red and walked off.

**... ... ... you might have heard i run with a dangerous crowd ... ... ...**

Ally made friends easily; suprising, since she wouldn't talk to anyone but Austin for weeks. But most surprising was that she made the best friends with the guys down at the pub. They were pretty nice guys; a bit rough looking, but then again, they had rather interesting hobbies so it was a bit like a cover up for them.

(Austin couldn't blame them. He'd try and act like a thug if he liked to bake cupcakes, too.)

She was closest with the guy who ran the bar, Austin's best friend Dez. After the boys initially had a scrap (Austin wasn't too happy about Ally being drunk the first night), Ally and Dez became very close.

(She liked his funny pants.)

(And his hair.)

(She'd never seen red hair before.)

(She thought it was magical.)

**... ... ... we might be laughing a bit too loud but that never hurt no one ... ... ...**

"Austin, what kind of music do you have to listen to?" Ally pestered him, poking his arm on a Saturday afternoon.

"What do you want to listen to, babe?" He asked in return, and she just shrugged. Heaving a sigh, he got up and walked to his bookcase, which held his old CDs and his iPod dock.

"Fun stuff, slow stuff, romantic stuff, kid stuff, pop, rock, rap?" He rattled off, and she just gave him a blank look. "Alright, maybe some slower, quieter stuff," He suggested, pulling the Album "+" off the shelf.

"This guy has hair like Dez," he said as an introduction. "He sings the song you and Trish listened to yesterday in the parlor."

_Another day another life_

_Passes by just like mine_

_It's not complicated_

"This is pretty," She said quietly, and Austin laughed.

"Yeah, Trish likes him a lot and gave me his CD, even though his songs are on my phone. I think she likes that he's a redhead, like Dez."

_Another mind_

_Another soul_

_Another body to grow old_

_It's not complicated_

"Do they like each other?" Ally asked cutely, perching on the edge of his sofa. "They would be cute."

"Yes, they do, but they won't admit that they're dating," Austin chuckled. The two had a strange relationship, but it worked for them, so who was he to judge?

"Aw, they should! They should get married and have babies and live happily ever after!" Ally cried, jumping up off the couch. "I really like this song."

_Do you ever wonder if the stars shine out for you?_

_Float down_

_Like autumn leaves_

"I think they do," Ally announced, and Austin shot her a look of confusion.

"The stars," She clarified. "I think that they're up there to shine for people."

_Hush now_

_Close your eyes before the sleep_

_And you're miles away_

_And yesterday you were here with me_

"Why do you think that?" He asked, beckoning for her to come sit with him on the floor.

"Because when I was little, the stars were like the one thing that...that weren't...they were there. They were there, and they were constant, even though they weren't constant, because even if they were covered by clouds I still knew they were up there."

_Another tear_

_Another cry_

_Another place for us to die_

_It's not complicated_

"Hey, hey you're out of there, you're going to be alright," He reassured, squeezing her shoulder. "Promise."

_Another life that's gone to waste_

_Another light lost from your face_

_It's complicated_

"I don't know," She admitted softly, shrugging her shoulders. "What do I do with my life?"

"What do you mean?" He hummed, holding her close.

"I've never been to a real school, I taught myself most things, I don't have a high school diploma or even my birth certificate and I'm living off of your hospitality, what happens when you get sick of me?"

_Is it that it's over or do birds still sing for you?_

_Float down_

_Like autumn leaves_

"Hey, hey, don't worry! We can fix that! For one, you can go to high school online and get your diploma that way, I'll sign you up for the classes and help with what you don't know. And yes, you'll need your birth certificate for enrolling in a school, but we can call the CDC Office and get a copy. Do you know what day, where, your parents' names, and other information that would be on the certificate?" She nodded, and Austin heaved a sigh of relief. "Great! And for me getting sick of you...I honestly don't see that happening. I've only known you a while but I've grown to like you, kiddo. I wouldn't kick you out flat on your ass, promise."

_Hush now_

_Close your eyes before the sleep_

_And you're miles away_

_And yesterday you were here with me_

"Austin?"

"Hm?"

_Ooh how I miss you_

_My symphony played the song that carried you out_

_Ooh how I miss you_

_And I, I miss you and I wish you'd stay_

"Thank you. For everything."

_Do you ever wonder if the stars shine out for you?_

_Float down_

_Like autumn leaves_

"No problem, Ally. Don't worry about it."

_Hush now_

_Close your eyes before the sleep_

_And you're miles away_

"I appreciate it, and I hope one day I can pay you back. Somehow. I don't know how yet, but I will."

_Ooh oh, ooh oh_

_Ooh oh, ooh oh_

"You don't have to-"

"Yes. Yes I do, and I will."

_Touch down_

_Like a seven four seven_

_Stay out and we'll live forever now_

"Well alright then. Come on, have you had a taco yet?"

**... ... ... no i can't make it go away oh but keeping it inside won't fix it. .. ... ...**

He knew she had nightmares, hell, he heard them every night. And he wanted to comfort her, reach out like that, but he just couldn't. Of all the things they shared, of all the stories she told and all the situations she was willing to let him help her with, her night terrors were not one. He brought it up once, was met with a frosty silence, and an agreement to never speak of it again. Ever.

He gathered that the dreams that plagued her at night were of her time at her home, of course he knew that much. But he also figured that much more shit had gone down there than she ever let on.

He just wished she would tell him.

**... ... .. if you fall asleep then at least you're next to me... ... ...**

Around her fourth day staying there, Austin realized he was being an asshole and swapped beds with her. She got his comfy California King and he got the couch.

Really, he was just being chivalrous.

And then about three weeks into her stay, she must have figured her night terrors were too much for her to handle. She'd silently padded out in the middle of the night, tugged on his shirt, and he knew what she meant. And ever since, they had -platonically- shared his bedroom.

Platonically.

Really.

**... ... ... your mama told you all that i could give you was a reputation ... ... ...**

It didn't take long for all of Miami to find out about Ally. "_Austin Moon's mystery girl_" was her common nickname, and the two could hardly go out on the town without at least one person asking about her.

Ally got mixed welcomes; the guys at the pub, for example, welcomed her with open arms. Elliot, Travis, Carter, and Bill all loved her like she was their own sister. Ally sat through their long drunken rambles about the meaning of life, tasted their cupcakes, and gave them love advice. In turn, they gave her their wisdom, which, all combined, wasn't any higher than an average man's, but she appreciated it all the same. The boys were the people Ally went to with questions when she was too embarassed to ask Austin, when she wanted to know something in secret. Many nights, Ally got tired of the apartment or parlor, so Austin dropped her off at the pub after Dez promised to only give her non-alcoholic drinks and keep a close eye on her.

The girls of town, namely Austin's groupies as Trish called them, couldn't bring themselves to like Ally too much, but Austin couldn't give a shit. These were the girls that hung around the parlor looking to blow their parents' money in an act of rebellion, many of them fresh out of high school or from one of the sororities at the local uni.

Austin's friends all liked Ally, for the most part. Trish, Cassidy, and Kira all took to the girl right away with almost a motherly side, and for that Austin was grateful. Trish, Cassidy, and Dez were his oldest friends. They'd been there since grade school, had stood by him through the death of his parents, and Dez's parents had taken him in when he had no place to go.

Ally gained a steady reputation as the girl no one knew anything about, the girl who shacked up with Miami's fastest and loudest, Austin Moon.

He wasn't a bad guy; hell, he wasn't even one of those stereotypical guys with a "bad boy" image, but he wasn't clean cut. He had been the youngest tattoo parlor owner in Florida when he'd opened up at 20. He'd practiced under his father's best friend, Jacob, since he'd turned 18; Jake was the only person Austin trusted to tatoo him at all.

He'd been orphaned at fifteen when his parents were on a marine biology trip and the boat had crashed. There had been no survivors.

Ever since, he had been hesitant to get attached. He'd loved his parents with all his heart, and they left him. He couldn't handle that happening again, so he closed himself off and put walls up to protect himself.

The walls had worked, too. Until Ally.

This coldness, the emotional disconnection with the world, gave him his own reputation. While he was loved by the citizens of Miami, as he had grown up with them all, he hadn't ever recovered from the downfall he spiraled into at fifteen. And most people never gave up that image of him; a sweet boy, nice, but closed off, distant, lost.

Until Ally.

Which gave them both a reputation, and sent questions circling around town.

What was so wonderful about her that made him open up, invite her in, and left both of them coming back for more?

**... ... ... but i wanna taste the sun because baby i was born to run ... ... ...**

Ally had lived in Austin's apartment for a full three months, and he took her out to dinner to celebrate.

"_Just a friend thing_," He'd insisted when Trish had asked.

"_Just celebrating her freedom_," He'd responded to Cassidy's pointed looks. "_She went through a lot and I'm glad I could help."_

The night had started off well, both of them enjoying the food at Bites; it was fancier than their usual Molly's Diner takeout or Austin's okay cooking.

Over dinner they had talked about Ally's online classes and how far along she was; she had about another year before she could get her diploma, online-school-wise, and Austin was extremely proud of her. It had taken her a lot of courage to sign up at all, especially because she had to get her birth certificate copy first. She'd been reluctant to even admit her last name to him (Dawson) or tell the CDC Office her parents' names (Lester and Penelope- Penny for short.)

But she had done it, and he was incredibly proud of her.

Austin proposed the idea of possibly going to the local uni after she got her diploma, but Ally was undecided on that particular idea. For one, as a freshman, she might have to live in the dorms as opposed to staying with Austin, an idea both of them hated.

Austin wouldn't admit it, but he had grown very fond of the little brunette girl.

But there were a lot of things she could do without going to the uni, Trish had told the both of them. She offered to take Ally into her cousin's dentist office the next week to see if she wanted to become a hygienist, a job she could easily do as an internship instead of the four year college deal.

Molly of Molly's Diner also offered to take Ally on as a chef or baker in the back, but Ally kindly referred her to Elliot instead; she had to admit his cupcakes were lightyears better than hers.

She had options, of course, but she had a little bit of time before she had to think about taking any of them.

That was the part she liked, though, something she had explained to him over one of their many dinners of dinosaur chicken nuggets. She liked having options, being able to choose things, have free will. She liked being able to say "yes" and to say "no" and to not have her entire life ruled by someone else. She liked having freedom.

**... ... ... don't want to let you down, but i am hell bound ... ... ...**

He was too old for her, he wasn't good for her. He'd just fuck her up, ruin that innocence that the entirety of Miami had grown fond of. He was bad for her in every way possible.

She was trusting. She was sweet, she had a definite naïveté about her that no one could deny. Luckily for Ally - and for Austin, as well - no one had taken advantage of her innocence, and he planned to keep it that way. But every time he explained something to her, showed her something new, Austin couldn't help but feel that he was the one taking advantage.

It was a feeling he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried. And hell, did he try, but every damn time she batted her big eyes up at him, he simultaneously gave up and yet felt like the world's biggest jackass.

**... ... ...i see myself as people see me, oh i just know there's something bigger out there ... ... ...**

He buys her books. He buys her more books than she probably wants, but not as many as she needs. She needs everything, everything she never had. He'll be damned if she ever has only one book a month ever again in her life. He'll be damned if she ever reads a book twice unless she wants to.

He'll be damned if she ever does anything she doesn't want to ever again.

So he buys her books and he buys her music, CDs to play in the apartment on the days she doesn't come to work with him. He buys her random DVDs he hopes she'll like, and he buys her a hell of a lot of books.

Trish suggests he get her the book and movie _Ella Enchanted_. She says that they're aimed at middle-schoolers, yes, but she has a feeling Ally will be able to relate to the story. (And also, Anne Hathaway sings a wonderful version of Queen's "_Somebody To Love_," so it has that going for it.)

So he does end up buying _Ella Enchanted _for her, and she loves it almost as much as she loved _Tangled_. Almost.

She likes that at the end, both she and Ella have the ability to say "yes" and to say "no" and do whatever the hell they please.

**... ... ... one thing i've left to do: discover me discovering you ... ... ...**

There was innocence in all her motives, that was for damn sure. She never wanted anything selfishly, crudely. She was all curiosity, but sometimes it was easy to forget.

He'd come out of the shower and pulled out some jeans, walking into the kitchen to grab breakfast. He'd nearly forgotten she was in there, and mentally yelled at himself for walking around shirtless with her around. He didn't want to scar her more than necessary. She looked up, stared, and he panicked.

"Shit, hang on I'll get a shirt-"

"No, wait," she commanded, motioning him over to the sofa. "Come sit. Don't put on a shirt."

"Uh," He breathed out, confused. He knew she couldn't mean anything sexual. The most she knew about sex was the kissing in movies they watched. He fast forwarded during the sex scenes; he didn't want her to learn about sex that way. And she had definitely never learned. One of these days, he was going to kill those parents of hers.

"I want to see your tattoos," She explained, drawing him back to the present, and yep, there it was, the innocent motive. He obliged, and sat down on the couch, facing her and waiting for her to move towards him. Her tiny hands traced over the arm sleeve on his left arm and the scattered designs on the back of his shoulder and right forearm.

"Who did them?" She asked quietly, and he explained his apprenticeship under Jacob. She just nodded, and traced the impressive-looking ship on the back of his shoulder.

"Is that?"

"My parents, yeah," He said gruffly. No use crying now. "It's there so I won't have to look at it."

She didn't press the subject.

"What about the rest of them?" She asked, trailing her hand over his arm delicately.

Austin wasn't much of a storyteller, but he found he didn't mind so much anyway; not when she was so interested. So he leant back with her and explained each and every one

**... ... ... i'm the colorless sunrise that's never good enough ... ... ...**

"Why?"

One word, three letters, a whole lot of pain.

"Because I don't want to ruin you," He explained fervently. "Believe me, I tried, Ally, but I just...you're just so...innocent, and I just can't mess that up for you."

"I thought you said you weren't ever going to kick me out?" She wasn't reacting with anger, or even hurt, just mere curiosity.

(That was almost worse, he thought. She wasn't mad at him, she just wanted to know...why.)

(He wished he had an answer for her.)

(He's not sure he knows why.)

**... ... ... i can hardly stand myself so what am i to you ... ... ...**

He drops her off with Trish and Dez (and since when did they live together?) and neither of them cries until after he's left.

(Manly tears, on his part.)

Ally explains to Trish that she understands, really, she knew Austin wouldn't want her eventually, and he was nice to make sure she had a place to stay, really, she was fine.

Arguments were for another day, but all four parties knew that this wasn't the solution to anything.

**... ... ... i bet from your slanted view you can see the morning dew ... ... ...**

Trish's (and Dez, Ally supposed) apartment had a different view than Austin's ever did. Austin's apartment looked out over the city. It was right above his tattoo parlor, which was in the midst of town, and from all his windows you could see the city lights, bright and shining. Trish's looked out over a park, and there was a tall tree right outside of her window.

Ally was fucking sick of trees.

(Her first time using that word Austin was so fond of, and he wasn't even here to appreciate it. )

**... ... ... when the lights fade out all the sinners crawl ... ... ...**

It took a record two days before Trish cussed him out, parts of which were in Spanish words she knew he wouldn't understand.

"Are you a fucking idiot?" She had screamed, slapping him upside the head. "You are the one good thing to ever happen to that poor girl and you just leave?"

"She-"

"Needs stability!" Trish had interjected. "And don't you dare pull that bullshit about her parents on me. Yes, she had a crapload of stability growing up, but that isn't the kind she fucking needs! You are, you dumbass!"

At least he looked properly ashamed.

**... ... ... my mind is made up, every night i'm coming home to you ... ... ...**

It was three days before he crawled back to Ally, and she acted as if he hasn't done a thing to hurt her. She'd almost seemed to expect it, if he hadn't known any better.

"-and I just want you to know that I'm really, really sorry, but I was just so scared-"

"Why?"

There was that word again, and he cringed at the heaviness of it.

"I didn't want to mess you up, ruin you," He explained sheepishly, hand on the back of his neck. "I don't know I thought- I mean, like for one..."

"Is it because you're older than me?" She asked sweetly. "Because that really doesn't bother me at all. I know it's un-un-conventional?" Once he affirmed that she had said it correctly, she continued. "I know it's unconventional, such a large age gap, but I don't mind it at all. You show me new things, and you've never once made me feel like I need to worry about you taking advantage of me, so-"

"I like you," He admitted, face burning, and she smiled.

"I know, I like you too!" She beamed up at him, rocking back and forth on her heels happily.

"No, I don't think you get it-"

"No, I do," She said certainly. "You like me. And when you like someone, you, you...do this!"

And that's when she caught him, pressed her lips to his as if it was something she did every day. He tried his hardest to stay absolutely still, to not scare her off. Although it was probably the most juvenile kiss he'd had in years- it was one of the best. Definitely one of the best.

She seemed to think so, too.

**... ... ... kinda thought i was a mystery and then i thought i wasn't meant to be ... ... ...**

They didn't make a big deal out of it, not really. Nothing changed much, except now in their free time they added kissing to their list of available activities.

(And eventually more, after Trish promised she would explain the facts of life to the girl.)

And he didn't want to scare her off, or take advantage of her. She assured him he wasn't, that she knew enough to make a choice here, and her choice was him.

(He also made sure she had a long talk with pretty much everyone about the differences between love and infatuation and exactly what _taking advantage _meant. She still chose him.)

So yes, he was completely terrible for her in every single way known to man. He was afraid to mess this up, mess _her _up. He knew, eventually, that one of them would make a mistake, but that was why they decided to take things one day at a time.

**... ... ...though nothing will drive them away, we can be heroes, just for one day... ... ...**

Things were far from resolved. Austin knew that eventually, he would have to make a report to the police about her parents. He knew that eventually she would be tired of trailing him like a puppy day in and day out, that she would want a job of her own.

He knew that at some point, she'd have to face up to her past, the things that haunted her at night. Trish had suggested that maybe Ally would need to talk to someone, because she most definitely suffered eighteen years of abuse with not a single person to reach out and help her.

He knew that they weren't the best relationship in the world. She was naive, innocent, barely legal. He was twenty-four, a _tattoo artist _for crying out loud, and he was probably more messed up than he realized.

But for some crazy, stupid reason, it worked. He couldn't fathom why in the slightest.

But he also found he didn't care.

**... ... ... and now i say you're the one I want to be with, when the sun goes down... ... ...**

"I want a tattoo," She announces, first thing on a Sunday morning. "and I want you to do it!"

"Ally, a tattoo is painful," He says slowly, confused. "And permanent. It would really, really _really _hurt to ever get it taken off."

"I know," She rebuts. "I talked to Elliot and Dallas all about them, and Trish, and I've decided I want one!"

"Why's that?" He asks, really hoping she'll change her mind, and won't regret this.

"I want something permanent, something that is all mine, and _only _mine, and I want _you _to give it to me."

And he can't really argue anymore.

**... ... ...and that's the sound of sunshine coming down... ... ...**

She wants a sun.

She wants a sun, golden, on the back of her shoulder.

(Just like his ship.)

She wants it to remind her that a lot of her life was spent without the sun, without anything new or good or bright or golden or _real; _and that now she has the chance to change that.

So he gives her a sun.

**... ... ... i've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see... ... ...**

"What was your biggest dream?" She asked, linking their hands tightly. "Like...growing up."

"Hm," He hummed, his head on top of hers. "I don't know. I wanted money, really. We didn't have a whole lot when I grew up, so I wanted to have enough money for everything. I wanted to go places, see new things. I wanted to be famous, too."

"You are!" She piped up, squeezing his hand. "Most famous tattoo artist in all of Florida!"

"Thanks babe," He chuckled, squeezing her hand right back. "How about you?" He asked, and then kicked himself. Of course her dream would have been to leave.

"Well," She said honestly, laughing. "I just wanted to see what was over the tops of the trees, in all honesty. What was going on outside of the fence, out of the forest."

"Looks like you got your dream," He announced, kissing the top of her head. "Guess we both get to find new dreams, huh?"

"Okay mister, we aren't _that _much like Eugene and Rapunzel!" Ally protested as he started to tickle her. "But yes, you're right, guess we get to find new things to dream about."

"Well," He considered thoughtfully, humming. "Maybe in a few years, after you figure out what you want to do, like have a job or not, I mean you're at the legal age, but you're young, and-"

"Yes," She said serenely, turning into him. "I'd like to marry you someday, too. But outside, we'd have to get married outside."

"Why's that?" He barely choked out, more shocked that she said _yes _than anything.

"Because, I'd want to start off my new dream being able to feel the sun," She stated. "I want to taste the sun forever. I spent too long without it."

And he'd be damned if she ever spent her life without feeling the sun ever again.

.. .. ..

**AN: fin. Jesus that was some long jibberish wasn't it? Oh well. If you read it, thank you so much and I love you!**

**1. Sequel?**

**2. Repost and continue 3:15 AM?**

**Please review, stay safe, be happy!**

**xx**


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